Who Was Babe Ruth?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Joan Holub, Ted Hammond, Nancy Harrison (Illustrator)

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Kids will learn all about the Home Run King in this rags-to-riches sports biogrpahy. With black and white illustrations throughout, a true sports legend is brought to life.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Sports, History, Childrens, Baseball, Biography Memoir

108 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 5, 2012

About the author

NY Times bestselling children's book author:
GODDESS GIRLS series + HEROES IN TRAINING series (w Suzanne Williams); THIS LITTLE TRAILBLAZER a Girl Power Primer; ZERO THE HERO; I AM THE SHARK. Lucky to be doing what I love!

Reviews

[Marqual P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book.it shows how even though babe ruth grew up poor,he still became a star.I reccomend this book to anyone who loves baseball,like me!Even Babe ruth grew up poor and was bad,he got the lesson when his dad sent him to a all boys school.There he met a man named brother mathis.This is where his baseball journey begains.

[Lucas Marchese · Rating 3 out of 5]

All I can say is: What a troublemaker he is!!!!!!!!!!!!:(:(:(

[Danielle Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book. It definitely shows the star side of Babe Ruth and the troublemaker side of Babe Ruth. This book could really be used in teaching moral character and how to act properly, especially if you are in the public eye. I definitely recommend this book for a classroom. If you have any students that love sports, specifically baseball, this book is definitely something they will pick up!

[Amy Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to my son for school, decent. Most of the Who Was books give a round picture of the person..I felt this was way more centered on his baseball career and would've liked to know more about him personally. Overall, not bad.

[tristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ohtani better

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little biography. I of course knew who Babe Ruth was but didn’t know his story. An amazing baseball player. The book is well written & tells the story very well.

[Isabella Aranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book,”Who was Babe Ruth,”. Babe came from a quite poor family. During his childhood,he went through a lot such as his mother dying and him going to St. Mary’s Industrial School. He also gains interest in baseball (which becomes his future career). He began to play baseball while at St. Mary’s and his journey started from there. He had some nicknames while he played baseball such as “Sultan of Swat”, “the King of Crash”, “the Prince of Pounders” and lastly “the Colossus of Clout”. These nicknames were given to him by Sportscasters and newspaper reports. I feel as if this book would suit people who like to read about famous people, biographies, and books about baseball. So in conclusion, I rate this book a solid 4 stars.

[Madison]

Babe Ruth was wild, little boy who loved baseball and causing problems. He lived in a rough neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland. His family of eight people was poor and dirty. As a kid, Babe grew up as a reckless kid who did anything he wanted. When he was 7 years old, his parents put him in a St. Mary's industrial school for boys who were troublemakers, runaways, and orphans. At his new school and home, he learned math, reading and got to play baseball in his free time. Then, he met Brother Matthias, who guided him in life and in Baseball. When he was 19, he went into the MLB minor league and soon he got brought up to the MLB and he shocked everyone with his pitching and batting. I really liked this book because it was informational and it taught me a lot of things I didn't know.

[Heather Shembarger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these series as they are quick reads but packed with interesting information. You realize Babe Ruth was quite the character after reading this book. You also realize though that he was full of compassion and had a very big heart. Some interesting facts include: Babe was sent away to a reform school when he was only 7 because his parents had so much trouble controlling him! There were 8 children in Babe's family. He was the oldest. However, only Babe and Mamie, his little sister, made it to adulthood. Babe was married twice and also had a daughter. He also was the first person to hit a home run in the new "Yankee Stadium" in 1923. He hit 3 home runs in a world series game and also had a season where he hit 60 home runs! These are just a few of the highlights...read the book to find out so much more!

[Maddox Pepa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a man who got into a lot of trouble (as a boy and in adult hood), played practical jokes on his friends, but he was a baseball king. People already know that he played for the New York Yankees but would it shock you if I told you he got traded from the Boston Red Sox because he was not doing good? Well you got to read it if you want to find out. But I highly recommend this book to kids 7+ but this book was really interesting.

[Nicky H]

Who was Babe Ruth is a book about the telling of Babe Ruths life. Babe Ruth was a very big trouble maker, his was so bad that he got sent off to boarding school. In boarding school he got better and better at baseball and he got called up to the minors, about a couple years later he got called up to pay with the red Sox and got traded from there on. I would recommend this book to people who are in to baseball.

[Grandma's Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well. What can you expect. This book is about one the best baseball players in the world, Babe Ruth. It follows since childhood to adulthood. One of the things that surprise is that he died because he had throat cancer. Overall this is a great book and I recommend it to anybody who likes sports.

[Nicholas Papavero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it told a lot about babe Ruth and how what school he went to and the tricks he did to become a better baseball player.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and I learned many things I never knew about Babe Ruth.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sounds like an amazing guy!

[Cole G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was a page turner. I think this book would be perfect for ages 6 and up. If you like who was roger maris you will like this one.
This book gives great facts

[Lucas Nieves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever

[Jase M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that I read was Who Was Babe Ruth by Joan Holub. The characters in this book are Babe Ruth.


Babe was the oldest of eight children. He was born February 6 1895 and his family was poor. Babe was very bad when he was a kid and he got sent to St.Mary’s industrial school for boys. At St.Marys there were a lot of boys his age and Babe got lots of practice playing baseball while he was there. When Babe grew older he got an offer to play for the Baltimore Orioles, a minor league baseball team. Babe was getting paid $600 a year. Babe does good at the Orioles and moved up to play for the Boston Red Sox, a major league team.


Babe got married to Helen Winford who worked at a breakfast place Babe went to every day. In Babes first year full year at the Boston Red Sox they won the world series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The next season, Babe wanted to focus on hitting and stop pitching, but his manager said no. Babe did very good pitching this season and Red Sox won the world series again. During the world series, Babe was messing around with his teammates and hurt his throwing hand on the wall by punching it, but he still set a record by pitching 29 scoreless innings, and that record stood for 44 years. He was getting paid $10000 dollars now.

Babe liked to stay up all night and got yelled at by his manger. When Babe was staying up all night he started doing bad. The Red Sox didn’t make it to the world series but Babe set a record by hitting 29 home runs that season, and the national league home run leader only hit 12.


In early 1920 the Red Sox sold Babe to the Yankees the fans thought that was the worst trade ever. The Yankees wanted Babe to hit not pitch. Everybody loved Babes cocky energy. By the end of the season he hit 54 home runs, and the National league home run leader hit only 15.

The Yankees were paying Babe $20000 dollars now double what he was getting paid at the Red Sox. Babe had a daughter in 1921. He hit 59 home runs that year and beat his own record. The Yankees made it to the world series but lost and Babe got hurt. In 1922 Babe and Helen bought a 80 acre farm in Massachusetts.

In 1924, the Yankees built a new stadium that could fit seventy thousand people. Babe hit the first home run in the stadium. The Yankees won the world series that year. Babe hit a home run in 4 out of 5 games and won most valuable player. Babe was staying up and not getting any sleep and gained 50 pounds when the next season came. The Yankees lost the world series that year, but Babe hit 60 home runs breaking the record. Babe was getting paid 80000 dollars a year now. Babe retired when he was 40 years old and died from cancer at the age of 53. The Yankees retired his number 3. No other player on the Yankees is allowed to wear that number. Babe held 54 Mlb records and hit a total of 714 home runs.


I rate this book a 5 because I like baseball and I liked learning about Babe Ruth.

I recommend this book to Kendyn because he likes baseball.

This book connects to the theme because it was a autobiography about the life of Babe Ruth.

[Harrison A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book, "Who was Babe Ruth" By Joan Holub. This book is about how Babe Ruth became a baseball player. Babe Ruth's parents were poor. Babe Ruth's parents had eight children and only two children made it through to childhood. The other children passed away. Babe and his little sister were the two that survived. Babe Ruth stole from a market because he was poor and needed things. He did this a lot and never got caught. When Babe Ruth got older he got signed to the Orioles for six hundred dollars. But then he got traded to the Red Socks. Babe would always pitch but then he switched to being able to hit. So the next thing is that he had said that if the Red Socks did not pay him more he would leave the team. Then the Red Socks paid him $10,000 dollars to keep him on their team. But then he got traded to the New York Yankees. He got in trouble because he was drinking when he had a game the next day. Then he could not play the next game because of his drinking issue. At the end of the season he had 59 home runs. Babe Ruth passed away on August 16, 1948 at fifty-three years old. I picked this book for this month's theme which was Biography/autobiography and because I really love baseball. I rated this book a five star rating because I like baseball and enjoyed reading about one of baseball's best players ever.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Babe Ruth was a poor boy who became a great baseball player. I don’t think he was the greatest ever, but he’s up there.

Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore with a lot of siblings. He was a troublemaker, and he had nowhere else to go but up. And up he did go, into baseball stardom.

Babe Ruth was part of the Yankees. But first, he was a pitcher for the Red Sox, and a very good one. When the Red Sox traded him over to the Yankees, they suffered “the curse of the Bambino” and wouldn’t win a World Series until the 21st century.

Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat. He had many nicknames, and deserved all of them for his many home runs and batting prowess. He changed the game of baseball. Before, it focused on pitchers. Now, with Babe Ruth, good ball playing was good hitting. Babe Ruth’s playing was unconventional, but it made him famous and it obviously worked for him.

Babe Ruth was a legend. He was a bit of a glory hound, his records have been surpassed, and one must always remember he was playing in a segregated age, but he was still a legend.

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this biography for young readers. Babe Ruth has always been a bigger-than-life baseball player for me - one that stood above all the early pros in the major leagues. This concise biography filled in many gaps in my understanding of who he was and provided a revealing backdrop of his childhood and young life. From a poor family in the dirty part of Baltimore to a reform school, George Herman Ruth looked destined for disaster, but a teacher at the school, Brother Mathias, provided him two great gifts: a hand of supportive friendship and the chance to play some baseball. The biography takes the career of the Babe from his first homerun on May 6, 1915 to the first home run ever hit in the new Yankee Stadium on April 18, 1923 to his last three home runs hits against the Pittsburg Pirates on May 25, 1933. I even took some notes as I read through this quick look at one of baseball's greatest.

[Susan Thombs · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Who Was" is a great series for younger students who like non-fiction. In the past, younger students who liked to read nonfiction were often faced with reading books that were far above their reading level. "Who Was" fills that void by putting out accessible and interesting books for emergent readers. Although non-fiction, the books read more like a story, which also adds to their appeal.

"Who Was Babe Ruth" is a great read for young baseball fans: they get all the facts of his personal struggles and rise (and fall) in baseball, but in an accessible, easily relatable way.

This would be a good book to use in the fall in a multidisciplinary unit: read the nonfiction account of his life, talk about statistics and averages in math, have students find out more about the history of baseball or the time period in social studies, etc.

[Daniela AmpieCeballos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because when I saw it it was about baseball and I play baseball. It is my favorite sport so I wanted to read it. The book is called Babe Ruth saves baseball. The main character is George Herman Ruth. The story is about a baseball player named George Herman Ruth and he likes baseball a lot. It is his favorite sport, at first he was not very good but with time, while he was practicing, he became famous. He played with the Yankees, met people, etc. In this book I learned about the life of George Herman Ruth. And I really recommend them to those who play or like baseball. This book helped me stay in my challenge zone because I learned that if I want to do something I have to try very, very much.This book made me ask questions like if George had children or how many, or if George had pets, to learn things about him.

[Kiyu Nishiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book title：Who was Babe Ruth
Publisher：Penguin
Book level：
It took me （80）minutes to read

3〔Seven words〕
・famous
・God
・baseball
・Pitcher
・Hitter
・home run
・king

4（about passage. like or don't like）
a...It is not easy, but that can't be the reason why you can't do it.
b...This is his word. I think it's really nice word. I was moved by it.

5 （Explain about book）

Babe Ruth was famous American baseball player, and is famous now. He was poor when he was child. He was taken to Saint Mary Technical High school because he was bad boy. He learned the rules of baseball by his teacher, Macias.
Then, he bacame professional baseball player, and made some great records.
He throws left hand, and bats left.
He said to be a God of baseball.

[Alysse · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a baseball fan, it was very interesting to read about Babe Ruth. The book discusses his life from childhood to death. he grew up as a poor child from Maryland and was the oldest of 8 children. At the age of 7, his dad took him to St. Mary's Industrial School for boys. There he played baseball a lot with the other boys. As he was getting older, he did not look or act like the typical baseball player. Babe liked to eat a lot and party. Throughout his career he set and broke many records in baseball. He played for the Yankees and they eventually retired his number. On the day he died, he held 54 major league records and hit a total of 714 home runs!

[Kaleb Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who was Babe Ruth by Joan Hulb. This book is about a legendary baseball player named Babe Ruth, Babe was a baseball legend in the 1920s-1930s he broke every batting record that existed he was a inspiring player to watch in that time. But what is his story?

Babe Ruth in my opinion is one of the best baseball players of all time he could hit pitch and run bases. With a legend in the making who knew Babe was going to grow up and become the greatest baseball player of all time.


I recommend this book to baseball fans and for people who need a easy read but want to learn more about sports.

[Chandler Jordahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Babe Ruth was not always an idol. He grew up in a poor family and definitely gave them a run for their money. This biography takes you threw Babe Ruth's life from birth to death, and all of his challenges and accomplishes in between. All of the books in this series provide a great simplistic approach to informational text. A perfect fit for young readers or struggling readers. I am currently using this with my 4th graders to explore biographies and how to dissect the information. I love the timeline included at the end! Highly recommend for all elementary classrooms!

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

105 pages. I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about this baseball legend. What I really was impressed with was that the author was very objective. She told the good and the bad. She did not make him out to be a saint. He had faults and they caught up with him at times and affected his career and personal life, including his marriage. I think that balance is good in biographies. Kids need to know people are not perfect. People can still inspire us to greatness even with flaws. I think kids will enjoy this one. Highly recommended for Grades 4-5.

[Adam N · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book I learned a lot more than I thought. I thought the illustrations were pretty good. Some facts about babe Ruth are his real name is George Herman Ruth. When he was eight his parents gave up on him and took him to Saint Mary's industrial school. When he was 19 he was picked to go to the Baltimore Orioles. During him season he hit 714 home runs and made 80,000 dollars. He died and suggest 16 1948.

[Ashton Temple · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is about babe Ruth when he played baseball in the MLB. babe Ruth played on 3 MLB teams the teams were the Baltimore orioles, the Boston Red Sox, and then his final team was the New York Yankees. what i liked in this story is that babe Ruth was the greatest player in the MLB in the 1920s. i learned that in this story that babe Ruth was really in bad shape because after he was done playing baseball he died because he health and also cancer.